This Eurocult effort occupies a unique place in the pantheon of lesbian vampire films. Blood Castle (known to most fans as The Blood Spattered Bride) is unusual within this subgenre because it doesn't focus on feminist themes. Instead, it takes a very masculine view on the material, with the husband character emerging as the protagonist instead of the woman. That said, Eurocult buffs won't be disappointed by this shift in tone because Blood Castle still offers all the nudity, sex, and bloodshed that usually comes with these films. Director Vicente Aranda uses his secluded country settings to his advantage and seeds the film with plenty of arresting imagery: for instance, Susan's nightmares are loaded with violent, phallic imagery. The film also benefits from strong performances across the board: Simon Andrieu and Maribel Martin have strong chemistry and Alexandra Bastedo offers a suitably bewitching presence as the title character. Like many European horror films, the pacing is very deliberate and the plot somewhat elliptical, but Aranda's knack for atmosphere is likely to win over viewers with a yen for Eurocult films.